Throughout this challenge, there have been some poses that continue to be the bane of my existence. (Second part of Awkward and Standing Head to Knee!) But there are a few where I have made huge progress in, and I can really feel it. The one pose where I have made the biggest progress recently???
Cobra pose!
About a week ago, I was lying on my mat, wish the spine-strengthening series would die a slow STD-ridden death. (I hated it that much.) We had only just flipped over onto our bellies and done the first set of Cobra. The teacher teaching, though, knew I was half-assing it... She knew I was surrendering to the absence of energy into my mind. Yet, instead of verbally calling me out on it in class, in the second set she did something that helped me get back into line with my energy and pose...
She stood on my feet.
Yep, she made DAMN SURE my feet and legs were GROUNDED into my mat. And when she told us to lift our bodies up and lean back, without using the strength in our arms, I was ale to do it with an amazing amount of power.
My back was so strong, and my feet were so grounded, that I was able to get my back nearly perpendicular to the floor! Or, so it felt!
"So THAT'S what it feels like to have your legs grounded into the floor!!!" I thought to myself.
It's not standard for a Bikram yoga teacher to touch or adjust you in poses. But in this class, it really helped me understand WHAT it is my body should be striving to feel like in that pose.
Since then, my Cobra pose has really rocked. And today in class, the studio owner complimented me on it. ("Beautiful!")
Now... If only there was a way one of the teachers could show me how Standing Head to Knee is supposed to feel.
8 comments:
Wow! That is so interesting. I am going to have to get someone to stand on MY feet after class to see what it feels like. My cobra pose could sure use a jolt. Thanks for the tip!
It is so wonderful when you get that extra help.
I wish someone would step on my ham sandwich somewhere. Mazelmazel on your cobra! ^_^
A similar thing happened in my class this morning. The teacher held down my feet in Cobra pose, but instead of keeping my toes and heels together, she told me to separate them. She also told me to fling back my arms. I came up much higher than usual and really felt it in my upper back and shoulders. It was fantastic!
Ah! Yes. Chrissy... That was the advanced version of the pose. Well done! Was it Miss Teisha who taught? She's the one who held down my feet last week.
Yup! It was Teisha! I really appreciate all the tips she gives in class. She's the kind of teacher I want to be. I think it's good to stray from the dialogue and give students adjustments now and again.
HEAR! HEAR! Teisha is a FAB teacher! Dancing J. can confirm... As she had the pleasure of having Miss T as a teacher when she (T) was out in California last Winter.
I will be a strict dialogue teacher for the first little while... But I eventually hope to be like Teisha... Passionate and incredibly helpful inspirational.
Yes, I have had that too...a teacher holding my feet down in cobra. What a whole diff posture once you realize! So many people have their feet wrong in that one. So glad you were able to really rock it out after that! What a spine you have! :)=
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